Network security has become increasingly important in today's society. In particular, the ability to effectively protect computers and systems presents a significant obstacle for component manufacturers, system designers, and network administrators. This obstacle is made even more difficult due to the plethora of new security threats, which seem to evolve daily.
Furthermore, networks and enterprise systems are becoming increasingly dispersed and complex. From a network management perspective, this means that network devices are increasingly more difficult to keep track of and manage from a centralized location. In addition, computers and other network devices are now equipped with added capabilities such as built-in firewalls and Network Address Translation (NAT), which allows for unmanaged security settings on a device that is hooked up to a network.
For example, in an enterprise environment, network managers typically try to keep workstations and other network devices updated and protected by one or more various anti-virus capabilities that are available. However, viruses and worms on un-managed computers crop up, typically because the infected device has gained access to the network in an unauthorized manner, because the device is “stealthing” or hiding on the network, or because the device simply isn't configured properly. In another example, hackers may try to gain unauthorized access to a network through brute force attacks. Due to the many types of attacks and the large number of devices that may be connected to a network it can be difficult to manage and detect network security threats.